How to Win Your Next Job Interview

Use Your Big Four as a Roadmap

All of us have a range of perspectives: different ways we see the world, and voices we use to express ourselves. I write and teach about the most fundamental sides of us, a set I call The Big Four. These are central in leading wisely and living well. They’re also terrific as a guide for winning a job.

Here’s a tip on how to use each of The Big Four to your advantage.

Use your inner Dreamer to share a professional vision about yourself in the future.

   If you’re called in for an interview, there’s a good chance your interviewer has read your resume. It’s your past experience that earned you a seat across from them in this interview. Now it’s time to shift your focus from your past to your future. That’s your inner Dreamer’s specialty. Paint a picture for them of how you hope to make a difference: in your work, in your life, at their company or organization. Inspire them with your aspirations for the years to come and how working with them helps you achieve them.

Use your inner Thinker to move beyond superficial answers.

   Your interviewer is likely talking to lots of people. Many of them will say the same things, and they’re very general things: statements like “I’m so excited to work here,” or “I think my experience and my interests make me a good fit.” Answers like this don’t demonstrate your thoughtfulness, your ability to think deeply about issues, or the quality of your judgment. Your interviewer cares a lot about how you think, and your interview is a chance to show them.

   Your inner Thinker is designed to gather information, analyze a situation from a few angles, and generate ideas to solve problems. Shift your answers from upbeat generalities to responses that invite your interviewer to think about what you've said. You want the interviewer to get engaged, to join you in an interesting exchange. When the interview is over, you want them still considering some of the points you made, and wishing they had a few more minutes to explore that last topic with you.

   Use your inner Warrior to show commitment, resolve, and the discipline to get things done.

At the end of the day, your interviewer is hiring someone because they have a job that needs to get done. They need to know that you’re reliable, trustworthy, and capable of achieving results. Your inner Warrior orients toward taking action and crossing the finish line.

In your interview, instead of listing job titles you've held, shift to giving examples of projects you've worked on and completed. Tell stories of how you've contributed to completing important tasks, or accomplishing impressive goals. Even if you’re just out of school, you can describe how you hung in there and finished your thesis, despite the temptation to give up. This gives your interviewer confidence that you have the stamina and determination to deliver when it matters. After the interview, take a small action step that goes beyond just emailing them to thank them for the meeting. Attach an article related to the discussion you had, or a link to a website that extends the conversation. This reinforces that you're not just talk -- you're also about practical follow-up and focused completion.

To win in your next interview, use your Big Four as your guide. Remember them by their unique strengths:

The Dreamer: Possibilities

The Lover: People

The Thinker: Perspectives

The Warrior: Performance